Coincidences
by Alpha Centori
Summary: Rokurou Habachi has arrhythmia just like Hisao and has to attend Yamaku Acadamy with his wheelchair-bound sister. All the while noticing coincidences happening left and right. As he gets to know the girls of Yamaku, Rokurou gets closer to one of them thourgh a common pastime. But can he contain the madness within? OCxHanako. (Rewrite #1)
1. Chapter 1

_Hello and this will be my first fanfic so I apologize if the writing is bad. I have decided to rewrite part of the story so my OC has a unique condition and that will help at several plot points. I may rewrite again in the future to improve the story and I will always update the rewritten version before the next chapter. Anyway, on to the story._

* * *

My name is Rokurou Habachi. When it comes to disabilities, I am both blessed and cursed. My brain developed abnormally and although normally it would result in mental retardation, it instead ended up as increased intelligence. However, because of this, I sometimes over-think things which results in me falling into a state of insanity. I call it Stein's disease after the character Dr. Stein from the anime Soul Eater since he is one of the smartest characters in the anime but falls into insanity later. Luckily, my medicine suppresses these moments of insanity most of the time. However, at points of extreme stress or trauma, my insanity will resurface despite taking the medicine.

Other than that, I had a relatively normal childhood, although I had a non-lethal genetic disorder that turned my urine the color orange. I grew up alongside my two younger sisters: Chouko and Kazuko. Kazuko is the same age as me and Chouko is three years younger. As for our appearances, I have short black hair with brown eyes and glasses. I am average height with a slightly skinny build. Kazuko has long black hair with black eyes. She is slightly shorter than me with a slender build. Chouko has short pink hair with pink eyes. She is rather short for her age and I bet she could charm almost anyone with how cute she is.

Recently, however, there was car crash that paralyzed Kazuko's legs and killed Chouko. Kazuko couldn't even make it to Chouko's funeral. I didn't take her death well either, for obvious reasons. I had to be put into solitary confinement until Kazuko managed to talk some sense into me. Since she was paralyzed from the waist down, Kazuko had to attend a special school for disabled kids called Yamaku Academy. A school which I would find myself at very soon.

The day it happened the day was proceeding as normal until gym class. I never liked gym. I was one of the worst runners in the class. We were running the mile today. Luckily, or unluckily as fate would have it, my gym teacher gave me a trick that might improve my time. When I became too tired to run and slowed to a walk I would count to ten and then try to run again. It worked at first and I thought that I would at least beat someone's time.

That's when it happened. During one of my ten counts, I felt my chest tighten. As the pain got worse, I realized in terror what was happening. A heart attack. Fortunately, since it was in the middle of class I was easily able to get help and got rushed to the hospital.

That was a few months ago. As it turns out since I had increased intelligence, my heart had to work harder to pump blood to the brain resulting in arrhythmia. It causes the heart to occasionally beat at near fatal speeds. My parents were distraught when they were first told. They would have paid anything for a cure which of course didn't exist. I was surprised that I had it for so long without anything happening.

Shortly after the incident, my parents brought over my collection of books and my other collections so I was never bored. I forgot to mention that I was an avid reader. I never watched that much TV except for a few animes and some science shows.

As for my other collections, I have always been a fan of Yugioh and have collected a large amount of cards. You could say that I was obsessed with it. I also had other collections such as my Dragon Ball Z movies and anime as well as a fair amount of video games.

When I first arrived, my entire class had sent me cards as a class project. I had several visitors at first, but that soon dwindled down to my closest friends... and Kenta. While I wouldn't call him a friend, he seemed as distraught as my parents when he found out that a 'fellow soldier' was in the hospital.

Let me explain. Kenta was most likely dropped on his head when he was a baby. He had an immense fear of feminists and was always preparing for the apocalypse. I had come up with a trick to avoid him most of the time but that didn't stop him from visiting me when I was hospitalized. My other friends who visited were Yasu and his girlfriend Midori.

I was quite shocked to learn that they had started dating when they told me. Apparently, they confessed to each other on the day of the incident. But as they developed their relationship, their visits became less and less until they stopped visiting completely. As for Kenta, he stopped visiting when he told me one day he was off on some special infiltration mission.

Today I was watching the DBZ episode where Goku trains in Other World. As I sat there pondering why Goku could only lift 40 tons in his base form the door opened and the doctor walked in along with my parents who were sort of dressed up.

A special occasion?

Maybe this was the day I could leave.

I pause the show and turn towards the doctor and study his face. I was quite good at analyzing faces and guessing moods. This one was cheery.

"Good morning, Rokurou. How are you?" greets the doctor.

"Fine." I mutter back.

"I have good news, you can leave the hospital soon."

"What's the catch?"

"Straight to the point, eh? Well, the catch is that you have to attend a special school for the disabled."

I catch on quickly. I was going to go to Yamaku.

"I'm sure you've heard of it since your sister goes there. It has-"

"24-hour nursing staff and it's near a respected hospital."

The doctor looks surprised for a moment before continuing on.

"I see you're well informed. Your parents already filled out the application form so you should be able to go in a few days."

"Okay."

I really didn't mind going to Yamaku at all. I'll finally be able to be with my sister again on a regular basis.

A few days later, I begin school at Yamaku.


	2. Chapter 2

I decide to call Kazuko on my way to Yamaku.

We mostly talked about the classes I would take, dorm room number, etc.

"_So make sure you come by class 3-4 so I can give you a tour of the school._"

"Got it. I have to go now, we just arrived at the school."

"_Okay, goodbye Rokurou, and at least try to make friends."_

"I will, goodbye, Kazuko."

I put my phone away and got out of the car. I declined my parents' request to take my stuff to the dorms, saying I need the exercise.

As I walked though the dorms, I noticed there was not a single person in sight besides the person in front who gave me my room key. I suppose everyone is at class now. I drag my luggage up to my new room which was number 118. I drop off the luggage and start to head to class.

On my way back I notice someone else heading toward the main building so I approach him and decide to make conversation, following my sister's advice.

"Hello there, what's your name? I'm Rokurou Habachi."

"I'm Hisao Nakai. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too."

The rest of the walk takes place in silence. I decide to use this time to analyze him. He has short brown hair with a cowlick in front. He's a little taller than me. Hisao seems to be a bit depressed, like he doesn't want to be here but has no choice. He actually looks pretty normal to me. He must have an internal condition like mine.

As we enter the main building, we are greeted by a tall man who is probably our teacher.

"You must be... Ni... Na... Niki?"

"Nakai."

I decide to save him the trouble of remembering my name.

"I'm Rokurou Habachi."

"So you are. Excellent. I'm your homeroom and science teacher. My name is Mutou. Welcome."

We exchange handshakes and Mutou looks at his watch.

"The head nurse asked for you both for a brief check-in visit, but there's no time for that now."

"Oh. Should we go later?"

"Yes, afternoon is probably fine. We should get going and introduce you two to the rest of the class. They're waiting already. Do either of you want to introduce yourselves to the class?"

I answer right away. "Of course."

"Yeah, sure. I mean, isn't that normal?"

"Of course. But not everyone likes to be the center of attention."

"Right, but it's no problem."

"Let's go then. Oh, right, before I forget, Habachi, I have your extra work in the classroom, you can get it once we arrive."

I nod and we continue to our classroom. I use this time to examine the school. It seems to be what I expected of a disabled school. It has ramps for kids in wheelchairs among other things. On our way up the stairs, Hisao asks a question I expected.

"Extra work?"

"Yeah, I get bored too easily with regular class work so I get extra papers to work on."

"You're that smart?"

"Yeah, it has something to do with my condition."

I'd rather not talk about the insanity part of my condition so openly. If people knew about it, they'd probably try to avoid me, something I would like to prevent. Luckily, Hisao seems to understand as he stops asking questions.

We arrive at a classroom marked 3-3. Mutou opens the door and I follow. Mutou greets the class and apologizes for being late. Hisao hesitates for a second before entering. I analyze the classroom while the teacher talks. I won't bother describing everyone but there is a pink-haired girl who catches my attention. Another thing that catches my attention is the blue-haired girl with glasses sitting next to her who seems to be using sign language. I decided to try and learn sign language before coming here but I didn't learn it completely yet so I don't bother trying to translate the hand signs. For some reason I have a bad feeling about those two even though they're two cute girls.

"... please welcome our newest classmates."

The rest of the class claps along with him except for the girl in front who's missing a hand. Hisao bows and I do the same. I decide to let Hisao go first with the introduction.

"So... I'm Hisao Nakai. My hobbies are reading and soccer. I hope to get along with everyone even though we're both new students."

An average introduction. It's my turn now.

"I'm Rokurou Habachi. My hobbies also include reading, as well as video games and some anime."

It seems the class is satisfied with our introductions as Mutou takes over and talks about getting along and everything. When he's done the class claps again including the girl without her hand. After that Mutou speaks to us as he hands me my extra work.

"We're going to be doing some group work today, so that'll give you a chance to talk with everyone. Is that okay with you two?"

We both agree even though I'd rather not. I usually work alone to provide more of a challenge, but I decide to follow Kazuko's advice to try and be more social.

"That's good, you both can work with Hakamichi. She is the class representative. She can explain anything you might want to know. And who else would be able to do better, right?"

That would be wonderful... if I knew who that was.

"Wait, who's Hakamichi?"

"Oh, right. Hakamichi is right there, Shizune Hakamichi."

The pink-haired girl I noticed earlier perks up and waves us over. Hisao takes the seat beside her and I take the seat behind her. Hisao makes first contact.

"Hey, I guess your Hakamichi, right? It's nice to meet you."

Why do I have this feeling about her. Surely she can't be that ba-.

"Hahaha~!"

Oh no. I know that laugh anywhere. But it can't be her because her hair's different and she has a different name.

"It's nice to meet you too! But~! I'm not Hakamichi, I'm Misha! This is Hakamichi. Shicchan~!"

My worst fears have been realized. Misha. Midori's cousin. I first met her while at a birthday party for Midori. There are some experiences that I've had with her since then that are indescribable. I actually don't remember much about the incident thanks to Kenta and his 'Kenta-approved amnesia serum' but that's another story.

Because of my sudden realization I almost don't notice the real Shizune until Hisao speaks up.

"It's nice to meet you."

Misha and Shizune exchange a few hand gestures of sign language and Hisao seems confused. Surly he can tell it's sign language, can't he? Misha picks up on this as well.

"I can see you're a little confused, right?, right? But, I understand why you would think I was Shicchan! Shicchan is deaf, so I'm the person who translates things back and forth for her. I'm like an interpreter~! She says it's nice to meet you, too!"

Shizune keeps using sign language to speak though Misha.

"You're the new students, aren't you? Well, Shicchan, of course they are! If they weren't, they would have been standing up there for no reason, right? Right~! They seem like very interesting people, don't they~! We knew there would be some new students, but we didn't know they both would be here today. So soon! Hicchan and Rocchan, right?"

Misha pauses a moment before realizing something.

"Come to think of it, I've heard that name before. Have we met?"

Oh crap! She's starting to remember! Kenta warned me something like this might happen. Think fast! Think fast!

"No." I stammer. "Never seen you before."

"Oh, okay."

Misha looks like she doesn't want to drop the subject but Shizune gets Misha's attention and has a short conversation in sign which seems to overwhelm her a bit.

"Ahaha~! Er, sorry about that! Shicchan wants you to know that she's the class rep, so if there is anything you need to know, you can feel free to ask her. Do you like the school so far? We can show you around a little if you hadn't had the time to walk around and... familiarize? yourselves with it!"

I then speak up, taking the advice of my sister again. "There's no need. I have a sister here who's going to give me a tour of Yamaku. Hisao, you can come with us if you want."

"Thanks, that would be pretty helpful. Yeah, I just kind of came straight to class today."

Shizune frowns at this statement and signs to Misha.

"That's no good! You should always try to learn as much as you can about where you're going before you go there. Not just with school, either~! Always! Even if it's a trip to the convenience store! Really, Shicchan? Hahaha~!"

Makes sense. It's the same with Yugioh. If you know what kind of deck your opponent has, it's easier to counter their cards. Misha signs something that ends in a shrug. I wonder what it was. Dammit. If only I learned more sign before I came here. I notice that Hisao has become depressed again and so does Misha.

"You look down, are you okay? Don't take it the wrong way, please~! I hate it when people are afraid to ask questions! That's how people learn things, by asking~! Asking for help is perfectly normal, as much as needing help! Stop looking like you just failed a test! Wahahaha~!"

"All right."

"Ah, and another thing, you don't have to call Shicchan something so formal like 'Hakamichi' or 'class rep' all the time! Just call her Shicchan~!"

'Shicchan' blushes at this remark.

"Ahaha~! Okay maybe that's too casual. Maybe 'Shizune' would be more appropriate? Yup, yup~! 'Shizune' is fine!"

"Heh. Okay, that would be a lot easier with us."

I agree with Hisao and decide that we've put off the assignment long enough.

"Hey, shouldn't we get started on the group work now?"

Shizune looks surprised for a moment as if she were about to 'say' the same thing.

"Huh? Oh, right, we haven't even touched the assignment! We should start work now, or Shicchan will get mad."

Hisao adds his thoughts. "The assignment is also kind of long, so we should start now if we want to finish before the end of class."

"Wahaha~! That too!"

Shizune glares at the both of them impatiently.

"Okay, okay, I get the message."

I breeze through the assignment almost effortlessly and we finish on record time with Hisao barely doing any of the work. The bell then rings, signaling lunch. I head to class 3-4 to pick up Kazuko while Hisao goes with Misha and Shizune. My sister's face lit up when she saw me.

"Rokurou, you're finally here."

I simply smiled at her and took my position behind the wheelchair and pushed her along.

"Oh, Rokurou, you don't have to do that. Remember, this wheelchair is battery-powered."

"I know but I can't have you wasting it when I can do it myself."

My sister nods at this and we continue on our way.

A feeling of happiness wells up within me, something I have not felt in a long time.


	3. Chapter 3

"It's the cafeteria~!"

Even though we weren't even in the cafeteria yet, we could still hear Misha yell over the crowds.

I sigh. "I guess Misha will always be Misha."

"Has she remembered you?" Kazuko asks with concern.

"Fortunately, no."

"That's a relief. With all that's happened between you two..."

"Don't remind me."

"Right, sorry."

Kazuko was the only person other than Kenta to know of the Misha incident. What she doesn't know is that I erased my memory of it with Kenta's serum. I spot Hisao when we get in line and realized I forgot to mention him.

"Oh by the way, I ran into another new student on my way to class. His name is Hisao Nakai. I hope you don't mind, but I invited him on our tour."

"That's fine. The more the merrier." Kazuko replied, obviously content that I was making friends on the first day.

I take a long look at the menu. It seems that most of the choices are for students with special diets but luckily I find something I think I would like. Once we get our food we decide to sit with Hisao so I can introduce him to my sister.

When we locate Hisao and the others, he's a little surprised at the fact that Kazuko is in a wheelchair but says nothing of it. I honestly think it's a bit of a overreaction.

"Hey, Hisao. This is my sister, Kazuko. Kazuko, this is Hisao Nakai."

He stills looks uneasy for some reason as he replies. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too."

Once introductions were over, I begin on my meal. I notice Shizune making a few signs which I think I almost recognize when Misha translates.

"Do you want to know something?"

Hisao is the one to answer. "What?"

"About anything. We were supposed to be your guides so the least we can do is answer any questions you have~!"

"Hmm, I wonder..."

I don't ask anything since Kazuko will be giving us a tour and if there's anything I need to know I can just call her myself. Hisao doesn't have that luxury. But he ends up asking nothing and focuses on his food instead. I notice him glancing at Kazuko several times. Curious. I make a mental note to confront him about it later.

After lunch I drop off Kazuko at her class and continue to our own. We're early, but not the first.

The one who came in before us was a dark haired girl with scars. I quickly bring up my mental notes about her.

Name: Unknown

Hair color: dark purple

Hair length/style: long and straight with a fringe covering burned side of face.

Eye color: purple

Assumed disability: burn victim

Assumed personality: shy, self-conscious about her scars

She jumps as Misha bounds into the room. I probably should add 'nervous' to the 'Assumed personality' list.

As the class goes on, I get more and more bored, even with my extra work. I also notice Hisao yawning by the end of class.

Finally, the bell rings and we begin to pack up. Hisao and I make our way to class 3-4. Our tour continues as any normal tour. Once Kazuko shows us the auxiliary building, I realize something.

"Oh yeah, Hisao and I were supposed to stop by the head nurse's office today."

Luckily, Kazuko delivers some good news. "Well, it's a good thing that all of the nurses' offices are also in the auxiliary building."

"Well, I guess that's the end of the tour. See you later, Kazuko."

"Goodbye, Rokurou and Hisao."

As we make our way to the head nurse's office, I can't help but get the feeling we forgot something.

...Oh well, I'll remember it later.

Hisao knocks on head nurse's office and a muffled voice comes though. It sounded like an invitation so we open the door. Inside sits a young looking man with short purple hair and a lab coat.

"Hello there. What can I do for you today?"

"Erm, are you the nurse?"

Of course he is, who else could he be.

"Why, yes I am. It says so on the door, no? You can call me by my name or just 'the nurse' like everyone else."

We then exchange handshakes.

"Right... err, We are new students and our homeroom teacher told us to come and meet you. My name is Hisao Nakai."

"My name is Rokurou Habachi."

The nurse snaps his fingers in realization.

"Oh, you're THAT Nakai and Habachi. I was just reading both of your files in the morning. We'll start with Hisao first. Rokurou, if you could step outside for a moment."

I do as ordered and wait on the side of the door. A few minutes later, Hisao emerges and motions me to go in.

"So, Rokurou Habachi, brain deformity which resulted in increased intelligence, occasional fits of insanity, and arrhythmia, am I right?"

"Right." I reply as I sit down in the armchair he motions to.

"Good. Well, you've probably been briefed about the school enough, so I'll just go over this quickly. We have all kinds of facilities here, mostly physical therapy and such. There's always someone from my staff around so don't hesitate to call us if there's a problem."

"Part school and part hospital."

The nurse laughs at the joke I didn't try to make.

"You got that right. What kind of school for the disabled would we be if we weren't part hospital."

"If they wore different uniforms, you could make this place look like a fancy prison with how many medical people there are."

The nurse laughs again at my now intended joke.

"You'll get used to it. Now, let me find you're file again."

He goes digging around for it before holding up a thick file.

"So, you already have medication for the arrhythmia and insanity, just remember to take your pills every morning and evening or it won't be much help. Apart from that... do you do any sports? Rash stuff like... I don't know, boxing?"

"Well, I did go swimming occasionally."

"I think you'll be fine with doing that. We have a pool here."

"Thanks, I'll check it out tomorrow."

"I'm sure you know this, but any kind of concussion might be very dangerous to your heart and risking another attack is not a good idea. Take care not to over exert yourself. Absolutely no unnecessary risks. Take care of yourself."

"Okay."

He checks over the papers to see if he missed anything and sets them down.

"Good. That's it then. Come meet me if you ever need something."

The nurse ushers me out and we head for the dorms. On the way back, I decide to confront Hisao about lunch.

"Listen, during lunch, I noticed you glancing at Kazuko. Care to explain."

Hisao immediately freezes.

"Don't tell me, you have a crush on her, don't you?"

Hisao blushes heavily.

"N-no! It's not like that. It's just... she reminds me of someone I used to know."

He looks depressed again and afraid of me asking for further details.

"Well, if you don't want to talk about it, I won't make you. I was just curious."

The rest of our walk continues in silence. As we enter the dorms, Hisao gets out his room key.

"Room one-one-nine..."

"Oh, my room is 118 so I guess we're hall-mates."

"I guess so."

We make our way to the second floor and we find our rooms. Hisao decides to knock on room 117.

"Hello, is anybody home?"

After the clicking of a large amount of locks, the door squeaks open. A boy wearing thick glasses and a scarf steps out.

"Who is it?"

It seems he's partially blind. He leans in close to Hisao.

"I'm Hisao Nakai and this is Rokurou Habachi... We're moving into the next two rooms. We thought that we should introduce our..."

His face brightens up and stands up straight and extends a handshake almost into Hisao and me.

"Oh, 'sup dudes? The name's Kenji."

"Ah, hi."

As we shake his hand, Hisao seems a bit put off by the sudden change in behavior from Kenji while I'm unfazed. I experienced it enough with Kenta that I guess I've grown used to it.

"There were some suspicious-looking people going in and out of your room earlier."

"It was probably my parents."

"Your parents? You sure? 'Cause they could've been some other people, too. You can't judge a book by its cover."

Kenji's paranoid nature and proverb remind me of Kenta. I also notice their similarity in name as well.

"I'd say the chances are high enough."

"You're a brave man, Hisao. Me, I don't think I could trust the chances. The only one I trust is myself."

"Does that mean that we shouldn't get to know you, either?

"A wise decision. Damn, you are smarter than you look. Probably. What do you look like? I hope not smart."

I stifle a chuckle as Kenji leans towards Hisao while Hisao leans back.

Kenji straightens back up. "Never mind, It doesn't matter."

He then turns around and after some difficultly in finding the door handle, enters his room.

After an awkward silence, we both head into our respective rooms. I see my stuff still laying there so I decide to unpack. After I unpack, I get out one of my books I brought with me and start to read.

Once darkness falls, I put away my book and get ready for bed. I remember to set my alarm so I can get up to go swimming. It was the best chance I had to get exercise. Besides, it was the nurse's orders.

I wake up to the beeping of my alarm clock. I yawn and drag myself out of bed. I realize I forgot to take yesterday's evening pills as I take my morning ones. Oh well, too late now. I go through the usual morning routine I go through at home: go to the bathroom, brush my teeth, etc.

When I arrive at the pool, I'm surprised that no one else is there except a single lifeguard stationed there. I do several laps around until I decide that's enough exercise for today. I head back to take a shower, get dressed in the school uniform and head to class.

Hisao is already there when I arrive and he gets my attention as I sit down.

"Hey, where were you this morning?"

"At the pool."

"Wait, you were serious about that?"

"Of course, you should find some sort of exercise too."

Hisao takes my suggestion with a grain of salt as class begins.

When we split into groups, Hisao grabs Shizune's attention. I guess he must have a question for her. He asks about any clubs in the school. However, her interpreter is currently perfecting her pencil eraser by making it even and flat.

Once Shizune grabs Misha's attention, Hisao repeats his question.

"Oh~... I see! Hm... That's a good question, Hicchan."

How tough a question is it? Are there any clubs or not?

"Oh, that's right! Everyone is encouraged to join a club. A lot of people do so because there really isn't anything else to do. There are also school events, like the festival coming up in a few days. Almost every student in the school tends to help out with it, doing whatever. So~! You actually transferred in at a busy time... maybe you and Rocchan can help out, too~!"

We both agree to help out while Hisao asks an important question.

"What's the festival about?"

Misha freezes for a moment before answering.

"...Wahahaha~! I don't know, Hicchan, the truth is it's a local event, and I'm not from this area, so..."

Misha turns to Shizune for help.

"Huh? Oh. Who cares?"

The speech she starts to give is very loud even for her. Hisao picks up on this as well.

"Not so loud..."

"Human beings evolve with each new generation! The ideals and beliefs behind a festival will inevitably change with time! Now, it's about delicious fried food and amusing little games that you play to win prizes~! Hahahaha~!"

Could you be a little louder? The windows haven't broken yet. The teacher picks up on this as well as he clears his throat loudly, using his pointer as a baton against his palm. Misha yelps and quiets down.

"We are in the middle of class and should start working. That's right, Shicchan~! What? That's right~! Hicchan, are you asking because you and Rocchan are interested in joining a club?"

"Yeah, I was thinking about."

Well, I wasn't and say as much to them.

"I wasn't thinking about it but if I find something that intrigues me, maybe I'll join."

I notice Misha and Shizune glance at each other. Hisao is about to say something when something catches his eye. I follow his gaze to see the dark haired girl from before slip out of the classroom. The teacher is also watching her go. I guess she's too shy to stay in the classroom during group work.

"Hicchan? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing."

"Okay~! Well, like we were asking, you two don't have any plans for lunch, do you?"

"... Not really."

"Me neither, I was just planing to eat with Kazuko."

"Do you want to have lunch together then?"

I don't see any reason to say no. We both say yes.

"Yay~! Wahahaha~! Okay, Hicchan, Rocchan~! Perfect!"

The rest of the class is uneventful. The teacher tells us to stop working just after we finish. Shizune seems annoyed by this. Hisao tells her it's not a contest. I sense the beginnings of an argument here.

"Yes it is, Hicchan!"

"Impossible."

"Really?"

"Really. It's not a contest, because contests are competitions over a prize. If there's no prize on the line, it's not really a contest."

"Are you sure, Hicchan?"

"Very sure."

"Hahaha! You're wrong, Hicchan. Because~!, I don't want to be the slowest one in the class. Therefore, what's on the line is my confidence in my abilities, and the prize is the satisfaction of proving them. Wahahahaha~!"

That just means it's a contest for you. So, others might not have the same motivation as you to complete their work as fast... is what I would've said if the bell hadn't rung right then.

"Where do you want to eat?"

That's right, we were supposed to eat lunch with them.

"The cafeteria?" both Hisao and I say in unison.

"Hahaha~! That's so plain... Okay~! Let's go!"

I pick up Kazuko and we all head to the cafeteria.

Once we finish eating, the conversation turns back to clubs.

"So, you two wanted to know about clubs and stuff, right?, right~? Right, Shicchan! Okay, I guess it makes sense to ask first. Do you two have anything you interested in?"

Hisao answers first. "I used to play soccer, but I'm not really into it. I don't follow the teams and players or anything like that. As of late, I usually just read a lot."

"Hm... There is a book club, right, Shicchan? Right! But~! It seems like they have all the members they can possibly have right now. Sorry, Hicchan... It's a really popular club. What about you, Rocchan~?"

"I didn't really want to join a club, but if I find something that interests me, I'll think about joining."

"Ah, okay! But, more to the point, does this mean both of you don't have anything already in mind?"

"Not really." Hisao and I answer in unison again.

"Good! Great~! That's great! Really great! Hahaha~! Wahahahaha~!"

Oh no, if this is anything like the Misha incident... I don't even want to think about it.

"Why's it so great?"

"No reason. Well, other than the clubs and the upcoming festival, there is one other thing... Student Council!"

I resist sighing in relief. So it won't be another Misha incident. Student Council... from what I heard from Yasu, a student council is nothing but manual labor and paperwork. Not interested.

"Hahaha~! Hm? Right, right... Hicchan, Rocchan, maybe you should join the Student Council! They could use more people~. Yes! Definitely! You two should definitely join!"

"Why?"

A very good question Hisao.

"Well, for one, we could hang out every day~! Shicchan and I are both in the Student Council. Actually, Shicchan is the president."

That settles it, there's no way I going to join the Student Council now. If I do it could turn into another Misha incident. Shizune seems to sense both of our disagreement as she signs quickly to Misha.

"Hahaha~! Of course, we're not trying to get you to join just because we would obviously benefit from you joining the Student Council and therefore have an incentive to try and get you two to-"

"So, you're admitting that-"

"Ahaha~! No! We admit nothing~! I mean, of course it would be nice if you both joined, and we'd appreciate it. But even without all that, joining the Student Council shows a healthy interest in the workings of one's school. Yup~! It's true. Besides, don't you two want spend time with us after school?"

They both put on their cute faces but I'm not falling for it.

"Well..."

Hisao, don't you dare.

"So it's settled, then. Welcome to the Student Council, Hicchan~!"

"What? No. No!"

"Awww... See, Shicchan? Of course it wouldn't go so easily. Yup! That's right, though, it would be boring if it went that smoothly. Oh well~! Shicchan owes me candy now!"

"You were betting on it? Hey, our lives are not a game here!"

I agree with Hisao completely.

"Wahaha~! That's interesting, Hicchan. Let's play a game."

"That's not what I said."

An idea springs into my mind.

"I have a game in my room we could play after school."

"Great idea, Rocchan~! We'll meet in the student council room!"

Hisao interjects. "Wait, what game are you talking about?"

"It's a secret. You'll find out when we play. I won't reveal it until then."

"You're not talking about **that** game, are you?"

We're all a bit surprised at Kazuko entering the conversation.

"Don't tell them, Kazuko."

"Fine, I won't."

We all agree to the plan.

After school will definitely be interesting. I wonder how Hisao and Shizune would do in a match of Yugioh.

* * *

_AN: That's right. I'm having Shizune and Hisao duel each other in the next chapter. One thing I was wondering was whether to do a turn-by-turn play through of the duel or just show the last few turns so I decided to let the readers decide. Please leave a review on what I should do. Also, if anyone is wondering what happened between Rokurou and Misha, to tell you the truth I haven't thought that part up yet so feel free to PM me any suggestions and it may end up in a future chapter. Also, I may not update as often as I would like because of school. Remember to review._


	4. Chapter 4

_Finally, the dueling chapter is here. I'm sorry it took so long. I got major writer's block(Ironically on Friday the 13th ). You can ignore all of the Yugioh lingo. You don't have to understand it to understand the story._

* * *

On my way to get my Yugioh collection, I run into Kenji.

"Who is it?"

"It's Rokurou."

"Oh, hey Rokurou. Sup?"

"I'm just grabbing a game to play with Hisao and the others."

"Others? Who is others?"

"Shizune and Misha."

Kenji suddenly shrieks in horror.

"The Student Council!?"

"Yes, the Student Council."

"Damn, they move fast. I tried to warn you man, but did you listen..."

"Warning?"

"Oh, I forgot. I haven't told you. What I'm about to tell you could blow your mind. Are you ready?"

"Sure."

"I believe that this school is a battleground. The site of a feminist infiltration."

And that's when I burst into laughter. I couldn't believe it. There's another person like Kenta. My mind was blown, in a different way than Kenji intended.

"Hey man, what the hell? This is serious!"

I quickly recompose myself and prepare the same plan I used with Kenta.

"It's not that. It's just that I already know about the feminist infiltration."

"You do?"

I lowered my voice to a whisper. "Listen, I'm part of a resistance that fights against the feminists. However, our numbers are few so we're always looking for new recruits. I can send in an application form for you but it might take some time."

Kenji seemed to be listening intently. "How do I know I can trust you? You could just be a feminist spy."

"True, but if I were a feminist spy, I would've come up with a better cover story than that."

"Yes, very true. OK, I'll trust you, for now. But why did the resistance send you here? Did they confirm the reports of the feminist invasion?"

"Luckily the feminists haven't made their move yet. As for why I'm here, It's my job to determine who is with or against the feminists or even neutral. Hisao is a new recruit so I'm showing him the ropes. However, people will think it's suspicious if we start hanging out with a known anti-feminist, so we're going to have avoid contact for a while, got it?"

"A wise decision. I must go now. Don't want the feminists to get suspicious now."

He turns around and smacks into the wall before finding his door and entering. Looks like he won't be bothering us for a while. I sigh in relief. I grab my stuff and hurry over to the student council room, remembering it from our tour with Kazuko. Misha perks up when I enter.

"Rocchan! What game did you bring? Is it something fun fun fun~?"

"Yugioh!" I say as I present my briefcase full of cards in a overly dramatic fashion.

"So, how do you play?"

Misha seems eager. I go about explaining the rules to them. I got more excited as I went on. I couldn't wait to see the duel between Hisao and Shizune.

"So, I've prepared two Battle Pack decks for Hisao and Shizune to use so you'll both be even."

"Battle Pack decks?" Hisao questioned.

"A battle pack is a pack of 5 cards. Buy 10 of them to make a deck and duel each other on a even playing field. They're mostly used for Sealed Play tournaments."

I give them both their decks and start the duel when Shizune signs something to Misha.

"If you lose, Hicchan, you have to join the Student Council."

"What? No!"

"Just agree to it, Hisao. It'll be fun."

I crack a smile as Hisao glares at me.

"There, Hicchan, you're outvoted~!"

Hisao sighs in defeat. "Fine."

"Now, begin!"

* * *

Shizune attacks Hisao's life points directly with Beast King Barbaros (Atk:3000/ Def: 1200), bringing them down to zero. Hisao sighs in defeat.

"Yay~! Now you have to join the Student Council, right Hicchan?"

Hisao looks utterly and absolutely depressed at this remark so I decide to save him.

"Not yet. I have a proposal. I will duel you five times using a different deck each time while you can use whatever deck you want. If I beat you each time, then Hisao doesn't have to join the Student Council. If I lose once, we'll both join the Student Council without complaint and do all of your work for a week. Also, when I win one duel, I'll start the next with the amount of life points I had left in the previous duel."

Hisao seemed horrified at my suggestion while Shizune accepts without hesitation. Perfect. Time for the master to go to work.

**Duel 1**

"I tune my level 2 Dragunity Phalanx with my level 8 Dragunity Arma Leyvaten to Synchro Summon Trident Dragion. Now with Trident Dragion's ability, it can attack 3 times in a row. Now, Trident Dragion! Attack directly!"

Shizune's life points dropped to zero.

**Duel 2**

"I activate Heroic Chance, doubling my already doubled Heroic Champion- Excalibur's attack to 8000. Attack her monster now!"

Shizune's life points dropped to zero.

**Duel 3**

"I activate Foolish Burial, sending the last Lightsworn monster to the graveyard. Now I can special summon Judgment Dragon. I use Judgment Dragon's ability to destroy every other card on the field. Now, attack her directly!"

Shizune's life points dropped to zero.

**Duel 4**

"I activate the trap Fragment Fusion, allowing me to Fusion Summon Gem-Knight Master Diamond. Gem-Knight Master Diamond's ability gives it an extra 100 attack points for each Gem- monster in my grave. Attack her life points!"

Shizune's life points dropped to zero.

**Duel 5**

"I activate Puppet Ritual. Since you have higher than 2000 life points than me, I can use this to Special Summon 2 level 8 'Gimmick Puppet' monsters from my grave: Gimmick Puppet Magne Doll and Gimmick Puppet Twilight Joker. Now I overlay them to Xyz Summon Number 15: Gimmick Puppet Giant Grinder. With its ability, up to twice per turn, I can destroy one of your Special Summoned monsters. If its an Xyz monster, you take that monster's attack points as damage."

Shizune's life points dropped to zero. I push my glasses up in a smug way that they do in some anime. It was a good thing I drew Puppet Ritual when I did or I might have lost that one. I only had 700 life points left. Shizune seems mad that she lost but regains her composure as she signs to Misha.

"Wahahaha~! You're really good at this game, Rocchan!"

"Well, I have been playing for a long time."

"No, really! Your strategies were perfect even if you used a different deck each time! You'd be perfect for the Student Council~!"

So that was it. They're trying to use flattery to get me to join. Not happening.

"Hicchan, you on the other hand didn't think about your moves enough before you made them! This is a strategy game that requires thinking. I wonder if you'd even be any good for the Student Council..."

"I guess I don't have to worry about joining or not in that case."

"Giving up just like that? I expected more of you."

"Fine, I'll consider joining the council, but I want to take a look at the clubs before I decide."

"Really, Hicchan? You're not just saying that to make us feel better?"

"Yeah yeah, I'm just not sure that I want to."

"Aw... Okay, Hicchan, but we're not going to give up so easily. You said 'maybe'; there's still a chance you'll come around. Come on, we could really have fun! We could play more Yugioh and maybe one day you could beat me, unless we graduate before that."

"That doesn't make me feel any less reluctant about joining, you know."

"Wahaha~! Surely you're not that horrible at card games? Maybe we can have Rocchan give you some special lessons, to give you a handicap."

"I might have just said that to make you feel better, after all."

"Awww, that's cold, Hicchan..."

Hisao glances at the clock. I follow his gaze and realize we've been playing Yugioh for a while now.

"Sorry, I think I have to go. I wanted to go to the library. It's not closed yet, is it?"

Shizune thinks about this for a moment before answering.

"It should be, unless the librarian is absent. I think you're right, Shicchan. We... think the library is open. It's on the second floor; can't miss it. Do you want us to show you where it is?"

"No thanks, it's okay. See you tomorrow."

"Bye bye!"

We leave and Hisao heads to the library while I head back to the dorms. On the way back, I realize something. Kazuko forgot to show us the library. I knew we were forgetting something. I quickly head back to look for Hisao but he is nowhere to be seen so I decide to look for the library since he will eventually end up there.

Luck is on my side as I find myself in a room filled with books. I don't see Hisao anywhere. Oh well, I might as well get some books to read since I'm here. After asking a very nervous librarian about the different sections, I go through the aisles and pick out a few books.

I try to find someplace to read when I notice someone sitting in a beanbag in the corner of the library. It's the dark-haired girl from before. I would normally follow Kazuko's advice and be more social, but I feel that approach won't work with her. I fall back on my anti-social behavior and sit in a beanbag a fair distance away from her; not too close to make her uncomfortable, but not too far away for her not to notice me.

She does tense up a bit when I sit down but nothing more. I open up my books and begin to read.

* * *

After a while of reading, Hisao finally shows up. He doesn't seem to have noticed me, if he does he doesn't show it, as his attention is focused on the dark-haired girl. He walks up to her. She starts and looks up at him as scared as a rabbit. This can't end well.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"It... It's okay."

This is the first time I hear hear voice and it's barely audible, I almost didn't hear it at all. I doubt I would've if I hadn't been listening to the conversation.

"So, umm... do you mind if I sit here?"

"O... okay."

Hisao takes his seat next to her.

"So,errr... sorry again for startling you. I'm Hisao."

"I... know. We... are in the same... same class. H-H-Hanako. I'm... Hanako."

"Don't let me interrupt your reading. I'll... just check these books if you don't mind."

An uncomfortable silence falls. Things went better than I expected. Based on Hanako's behavior I predicted she might run away or something similar.

"I... I..."

"I... ?"

It seems I spoke too soon.

"Ivegottogodosomething!"

With this she runs off, leaving Hisao dumbstruck. I pick up my books as Hisao follows after her and follow. She seems to have disappeared by the time we got to the counter. The nervous librarian I talked to before was talking with a rather tall blond girl who seemed foreign. Hisao walks up to them.

"Hey, did you see... er... notice a girl run past here?"

"Um, maybe... what did she look like?" asks the librarian.

"Long, dark hair. Kinda shy. She had... well... some scars... on her... face."

'Kinda shy'? She literally ran away from you. This thought goes unsaid as the blond girl speaks up.

"You wouldn't be talking about Hanako, would you?"

"Yeah, that's her. I saw her reading and tried to talk to her, but I think I scared her off or something."

"Oh dear. Yuuko, would you excuse me, I had better try and find her."

"S-sure. I'll just hold on to these until you come back."

Hisao asks a question I would very much like to know the answer to. "Um, what's going on?"

The blond girl answers. "I'm sorry, but I'll have to explain it to you some other time."

"Right. I'll see you later then..."

I realize that the blond girl is blind when she picks up her cane and hurries out the library.

"I don't think I'll ever get the hang of this place. Did I do something wrong?"

Yes, you did. Otherwise Hanako wouldn't have run away. Again this goes unsaid as the librarian, now known as Yuuko, speaks up.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing! I was just looking for some books and then she got in this fit and ran off. The most offending thing I can think of was that I might've looked at her general direction a few times."

"Well, she is a very timid girl. You have to be very careful around her. She can be very jumpy, I think, and she's not accustomed to talking with other people."

I figured as much.

"Isn't that a bit... strange?"

"Not really. We're in a school for the disabled. Of course some people are mentally affected by what happened that put them here. Trust me I know." I say thinking of my insanity even though it doesn't directly imply.

"But how should I deal with these people? Forcing myself to act overly casually only makes me feel phony. Like I was supposed to ignore the elephant in the room."

Yuuko fidgets a bit, deciding on whether or not to answer this question.

"I think it's an elephant only if you feel that way."

"Exactly. After all, we're those elephants now. It's like pointing out another human just because they're human."

"I guess you're both right. It's more about me than anyone else."

Silence falls once again as Yuuko shuffles around her papers.

"Did you have any books? I should be closing soon. I mean this library should be closing. But I have to do it. I hope that's not too inconvenient for you."

"Oh. Yeah, I want some books, but I left them over there because... I'll just go get them."

I check out my books while Hisao gets his books. His stack is significantly larger than mine, something Yuuko notices as well.

"Wow. You read a lot, don't you?"

"I surprise myself with that too, honestly. At least, when I really think about it. I had a lot of free time earlier this year, so I just kind of... started reading books to fill that time. I couldn't do much else."

"I see."

Hisao checks his books out and we head back to the dorms. We see Kenji in our hallway, but he goes into his room as soon as he notices us.

"I wonder what's up with him."

That's right, Hisao doesn't know about Kenji's 'problem'.

"It's kind of a long story."

I explain to him about Kenji's fear of feminists and my plan to avoid him.

"Feminists? You made that up."

"I wish I did."

"I guess it makes a little sense, with his paranoia behavior. Anyway, see you later."

"See you."

We each go to our respective rooms. I get my homework done rather quickly, only limited by my writing speed. Afterward, I read some of my new books and watch some anime until night falls and I go to sleep.

* * *

_Got to keep running. Got to get away from it._

_I had 3 pieces so far. Only 2 more and I'm home free. I was running in a field of mist where my vision was limited. I hear a dragon's roar in the distance. After a few minutes, I hear it again, this time louder._

_Shit, it's getting closer. I have to hurry. I see something on the floor in the distance. Yes! The 4__th__ piece!_

_I hear a deafening roar behind me that freezes me in my tracks. I spin around and the dragon was right there staring at me with its blue eyes. It opened its mouth and prepared to attack._

_I have no choice. I have to use it now._

"_Go! Kuriboh!"_

_The monster appeared in front of me and protected me, despite being nothing but a small ball of fur, while I grabbed to 4__th__ piece and ran. I'm sorry, old friend._

_I kept on running for some time until I saw the last and final piece. I'm almost there. Just have to get it._

_Suddenly, the dragon landed right on top of the piece. I had no protection up my sleeve and no time to run. It opened its mouth and released its Burst Stream of Destruction. I screamed as it engulfed me._

* * *

I wake up in a cold sweat. I take a moment to reflect on the dream I just had. I hadn't had a dream like that since... since...

since Chouko's death.

* * *

_And there it is the next chapter. As always, reviews are appreciated. I wonder how many people got my reference I was making with the 5 pieces. Leave a review if you know. See you in the next chapter._


	5. Chapter 5

I am very tired when I wake up the next day, due to my dream last night.

I decide to skip swimming today so I won't tire myself out. I may have a super brain but it does me no good if I'm too tired to use it.

Instead, I go to get breakfast in the cafeteria to pass the time. On my way there, I notice the blond haired girl from yesterday. Might as well introduce myself.

"You're that girl from the library, right? I never got your name. I'm Rokurou Habachi."

"I'm Lilly Satou. So, you're the friend Hisao mentioned."

"You and Hisao know each other?"

"Correct. Hisao was looking for the library and stumbled into the room that a friend and I use for tea."

"You mean Hanako?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

"Well, you took off after her at the library yesterday, and since she's very shy, I just figured you two were friends."

"Correct. You have a sharp mind, Rokurou."

I blush slightly and am glad she can't see it. We arrive at the cafeteria and I decide I might as well sit with Lilly.

We make smalltalk while we eat, but nothing too important to mention. I found that I rather like talking to her. She seemed to give off a calming aura that put me at ease.

I wonder... well, why not?

"Hey, Lilly, mind if I join you for lunch as well? You could show me the tearoom."

Lilly agrees, but I can tell something is bothering here. I suddenly realize what.

Hanako.

Both Lilly and Hanako probably use the tearoom so Hanako might be uncomfortable with an extra person. I wonder why she didn't mention it.

We finish our meals and head to class. I give Kazuko a quick call to let her know about the change in lunch plans.

"Hi, I just wanted to let you know that I won't be eating in the cafeteria today."

"_Oh?"_

I deliberate a second before answering.

"I'm eating with Lilly Satou."

"_Ah, the class representative from class 3-2."_

"Want to come with us?"

"_No thanks. I have some friends I usually sit with at lunch so this is a good time to catch up with them."_

Odd.

I wonder why she hasn't introduced me to any of her friends yet. She hasn't hesitated to do so before. Maybe her friends are just weird or something.

Or maybe I'm over thinking it and it's all just coincidence.

I go in the classroom and start working on the problems on the board.

After ten minutes, Hanako walks in and takes her seat without anyone else noticing. The teacher then says we'll be going into groups.

I grimace a little. I'd really rather work by myself than in a group. I somehow manage not to get sucked into Shizune and Misha's group although Hisao did glare at me after I told them I would work alone. He probably thought that I was leaving him at the mercy of the Student Council, which was true enough even though it was unintentional.

I tune out their conversation while I work on the assignment and then my extra work.

I notice that Hanako is also working alone and has just started on the problems following the reading. Hisao notices this as well and this time I can't help listening in to their conversation

"Hey, that girl over there..."

"Huh? Who, Hicchan?"

"Her. Hanako. Over there. Does she always work alone?"

"I think so, Hicchan. Do you feel sorry for her because she's alone?"

"I was just thinking that maybe she could work with us, or something."

"Hmmmm... No, I don't think that would be a good idea, Hicchan."

"Why not?"

"Shicchan wouldn't get along with her."

"Why?"

I'd like to know that too.

"Just because, Hicchan."

Well, that wasn't helpful. Shizune signs something to Misha.

"What, Shicchan? The friend of my enemy is my enemy? That sounds so harsh, I'm not going to say that."

A world of revelation is opened up to me by this one statement.

The only friend that Hanako has is Lilly. So, Shizune is enemies with Lilly. I guess it makes sense with their conflicting personalities and disabilities.

I tune out the rest of the conversation as I get back on my work.

Soon enough, lunch rolls around and I go to Lilly's classroom to wait for here. I greet her as she walks out.

"Hey, Lilly. You ready to go?"

"Yes, I just need to pick up Hanako and we can be off."

I decide to wait outside the classroom while she goes in.

As soon as she enters I hear Hisao's voice.

"Oh, she's here now."

I peek inside the doorway to see Hanako quickly turn around to face Lilly and rush to the door. Hisao must have been talking to her. I guess he used the more direct route. Maybe he invited himself to lunch, too.

"Lilly..."

"Ah, Hanako. Good morning. Is the president here?"

"Y-yes."

"I suppose we best be off, then."

I can almost feel when Lilly is planning to mention me to Hanako but that feeling is ruined when Hisao speaks up.

"Hey Lilly. How are things? I'm sorry I made you run off yesterday."

"Oh my, Is that Hisao? I didn't realize you were here..."

"S-sorry Lilly. I thought you realized..."

"No, it's all right, Hanako. Hisao, please don't worry about yesterday. It was just a misunderstanding."

"If... you say so. I'm still working this place out."

"Well then, I think you'll find people here a lot more forgiving than elsewhere. If you are feeling a little confused, please don't be afraid to ask questions."

"Sure, I'll remember that."

"Um... Lilly..."

"I'm sorry Hisao, but we must be off."

Again, I can almost feel when Lilly plans to mention me but it is again ruined by Hisao.

"Mind if I accompany you two?"

I chose this time to make my appearance.

"Well, what a coincidence, I was about to ask the same thing."

While Hanako does jump a little at my sudden appearance, Lilly takes it in stride. She ponders the question as if I hadn't already asked this morning or maybe she's just pondering having Hisao along.

"I'm sure that we could accommodate you both, can't we, Hanako?"

Hanako looks at her and then at us, looking a little bit terrified.

"S... sure."

"Well then, shall we go?"

We leave and head for the tearoom. When we turn the corner, I see something running towards us at full speed. I manage to sidestep them but Hisao isn't so lucky. They both fall to the floor.

Now that she's stopped, I take a moment to analyze her. She's a short girl with peach-colored hair with twin-tails. She doesn't have any legs, instead she has prosthetic ones. They seem built for running and since she's wearing a PE uniform, I conclude that she must be on the track team or something like that. But why is she running in the halls? Surely there's rules against that.

She gets up and apologizes to Hisao.

"Aw man... Hey, are you all right? I'm sorry about that, really! I wasn't looking where I was going, and you just came out of nowhere. Sorry... Sorry!"

She looks apologetic and her eyes resemble that of a hurt puppy. Come to think of it, wasn't there a girl I knew who did that all the time too? I can't remember her name.

Oh well, probably just one of my old classmates.

"It's okay. Don't worry about it... ouch..."

Hisao grabs at his chest. This confirms my suspicions. Hisao has a heart condition of some kind.

"Hey, should I get a nurse?"

We probably should. Getting hit in the chest is probably one of the worst dangers to someone with a heart condition.

"Err... no need, I'm fine."

What?

Hisao, you just got hit in the chest. Then again, maybe I'm assuming incorrectly about his heart. Maybe he just has weak bones or weak lungs and he really is fine.

"You sure you're okay? I hit you pretty hard."

"It's okay. I said I was fine, and nothing's broken. No harm done."

"That's good! I was-"

"Hisao, what happened?"

If I were blind, I'd probably say the same thing.

"Someone just bumped into me, nothing serious. Just winded."

"Er, sorry, it was my fault. I was just going to get some stuff, and I was in kind of a hurry."

"That 'someone' here is Emi, isn't it?"

"Hi, Lilly. Hanako."

"Do please try to be more careful. You might be sturdy enough to endure these sorts or accidents, but there are people who aren't."

Emi blushes and fidgets nervously. Again I'm reminded of the classmate who's name I can't remember.

"I know that! I- I, um, I was just... Aaah! I gotta go! Teacher'll have my head, I promised to help with printouts but I went running instead! Sorry, but I've got to change and everything!"

Emi runs off down the hallway.

"Does that kind of thing happen often around here?"

"There are more rules in Yamaku than usual for running in corridors... but that rarely stops Emi it seems. I don't think there's anything we can do to stop her, I'm afraid. Shall we be off, then?"

We continue on to the tearoom. I examine the room when we first enter. It seems to be a normal room, but I do notice some dust in certain places. My guess is that this room was forgotten about and only used by Lilly and Hanako for tea. I stop my examination when Hisao speaks.

"So, is this what you meant by coming here almost everyday?"

"Yes, Hanako and I usually have lunch here. It suits both of us, so we ended up using this room regularly."

I can see why it suits them. With Lilly being the class representative and Hanako's shyness, they would need a place where they can relax.

Hisao and I take our seats as Lilly sets out some tea.

I take a sip.

It tastes really good.

"So how are you two faring in Yamaku? Hisao, you seemed a bit flustered before."

"Apart from getting lost every now and again, and being crash-tackled outside my classroom? Fine I guess..."

"You... you looked pretty hurt before. Are you really... okay?"

I can see Hisao deciding whether or not to tell us what really happened.

"Yeah, it's nothing. I was just a bit startled."

I guess he isn't going to tell us.

I don't get it.

Why doesn't Hisao tell us about his condition? I honestly think it's an advantage if more people know about your disability so that when something happens you can get the proper care.

I suddenly realize that I'm the same way with my insanity. I don't want people to know so that they won't try to avoid me. Hisao is just doing the same thing only with his heart condition.

I push the thought aside when Hisao keeps speaking. It's mostly just smalltalk. The same kind that Lilly and I had during breakfast.

Soon enough, the lunch bell rings and we put away our lunches.

"I guess I'd better be off. Are you going to go with Hisao and Rokurou, Hanako?"

"Y-yes."

I can tell she doesn't want to, but I don't say anything.

"We should hurry then. Class has already started by the sound of it."

I wonder what excuse we'll use for us being late. We leave and go to our classes.

Lilly speaks to us when we reach her classroom.

"Thank you both for sharing lunch with us today."

"My pleasure, Lilly."

"Same here."

Lilly enters her classroom and we go to ours. Hisao says something to Hanako I don't quite catch but I think nothing of it as we enter our class. The teacher looks up and is ready to scold us but stops as Hanako enters the room.

I guess the teachers and Hanako have a understanding when it comes to these things. It explains why she left class earlier.

The rest of the class goes by uneventfully. Thankfully, it's quiet since Misha and Shizune aren't here.

Once the final bell rings, I think about what to do.

…

I know. I'll go to the library to read. Maybe Hanako is there.

I gather up my stuff and head to the library. As expected, Hanako is there in her usual beanbag. I sit in the same beanbag as before. Hanako merely looks up for a moment and goes back to reading.

* * *

A few hours later, I head back to the dorms.

On my way back, I notice Hisao helping out an armless girl with a mural. I swear, every time I leave him, Hisao meets another girl. He'll probably have a girlfriend by the end of this month.

"Hey, Hisao. What's up?"

"Hey, Rokurou. I just helping Rin here with her mural."

"Is this your friend?"

This is the first time I heard her speak. She has a deadpan manner of speaking that kind of makes me a little uncomfortable.

"Yes, this is Rokurou Habachi. He also transferred in on Monday."

"What's his problem?"

Problem? I barely spoke.

"What do mean by my 'problem'?"

"Why you're here at Yamaku."

Well, she's pretty straightforward.

"The answer's kind of complicated but the short answer is that I have arrhythmia."

Hisao seems shocked by this and it further points to the fact that he has a heart condition too.

"That's boring. You're the same as Hisao. Just another pie with the same type of filling."

"Rin!"

Hisao seems mad at her for revealing his condition.

"It's okay, Hisao. I already knew you had arrhythmia."

He seems even more shocked by this.

"But how-"

"When you were hit earlier, you grabbed at your chest. Also, you seemed shocked that I had arrhythmia as well."

"You could tell that just from those two things?"

I merely nod.

"Well, you'd probably need to get back to painting so see you later, Hisao."

"See you later."

With that, I head back to my room for the rest of the day.

As I get ready for sleep, I think about the dream I had. I wonder if it's a bad omen of some kind.

I really hope someone doesn't die again.

* * *

_And another chapter done. I was in a writing mood this weekend and decided to get this chapter out of the way. And AnimatorKing, you were right with the 5 pieces. Yep, the 5 pieces were the parts of Exodia the Forbidden One. The dream will reoccur later in the story. See you in the next chapter._


	6. Chapter 6

_Oh, so just because I forget to say to review I get no reviews for the last chapter? That hurts. Anyway, on to the story._

* * *

I wake up to the beeping of my alarm clock.

I feel much better today than yesterday.

I get ready and go to the pool.

Afterward, I encounter Hisao on the way to the showers. He seemed to have been exercising recently.

"So, you finally decided to get some exercise. What did you do?"

"I went running but I'm not sure if it's really my thing."

I can sympathize with him there. The only athletic thing I was ever any good at was swimming.

"You'll find something eventually."

"Yeah, who knows?"

We both then take our showers.

Hisao is still taking his when I get out.

As I'm about to head back to my room, Kenji strolls in naked as Hisao gets out of the shower.

"Sup?"

I sigh. The feeling I had this morning is fading.

"Kenji, I thought I told you not to contact us."

"I know man, but this is the bathroom, one of man's last few places of safety. Just to be safe, I check this place weekly for cameras."

Pretty sure it's illegal to have cameras in here, but I don't mention it to him.

"What do you want?"

"I need some money."

"How much?"

"Only like 400 yen."

"Fine."

I reach into my wallet and hand him 400 yen.

"Awesome."

Hisao seems confused at my acceptance of Kenji borrowing my money. I learned an important lesson from Kenta awhile ago.

Never question a madman when he needs money.

"Oh yeah, one more thing. I need to talk with you, Rokurou. In private."

He motions for Hisao to leave, who quickly does so. Now it was my turn to be confused. I had already given him the money, what more could he want?

"Good job, Rokurou. You broke the code. I knew I could count on you."

His voice suddenly changes into a voice I think I recognize. He smiles as he takes of his glasses and takes something out of his eyes which appear to be...

contacts?

My eyes widen in shock as I recognize him.

"Kenta?!"

"Shh! Not so loud. I didn't sneak this deep into enemy territory just to have my cover blown. You wouldn't believe what I had to do to get in here. I even had these special contacts made to stimulate blindness."

He pointed to the contacts in his hand.

"What about the voice?"

"Like it? I practiced really hard on it." he said in his Kenji voice.

"So... why did you infiltrate Yamaku?"

"I figured you'd get sent to a place like this so after gathering some Intel from a trusted source, I found out that _Misha_ went here so I had to come to make precautions."

He shuddered a little when he mentioned Misha.

"And trust me man, after what happened with the Misha incident, I had to come. I really don't want to deal with that shit again. Which reminds me, I have some precautionary devices with me. Just wait here for a minute or two."

He goes off to get his 'precautionary devices' while I waited for him.

He came back with a bag full of stuff.

"I have everything in here: the amnesia pill, the antidote, the insanity emergency call button, the works!"

"Wait, so you made it a pill now?"

"Yep, I finished the research needed and started producing it in pill form."

He hands over the bag.

"Thanks, Kenta."

He grimaced a little.

"Just call me Kenji for now."

"Got it."

I quickly skimmed through the bag. It had everything he mentioned and more. Even though he is crazy, Kenta knows his stuff. I bet that if he wasn't so focused on the feminists all the time, he could've been an excellent inventor.

"Well, I'll see you later, Kenji."

"See ya man."

I walk out of the bathroom with his stuff and get ready for school.

I see Hanako standing by the door of our classroom so I call out to her.

"Hey, Hanako, what's up?"

She freezes and looks over towards me, looking absolutely terrified.

"I... I... Ivegottogodosomething!"

She runs off like a rocket, leaving me as confused as ever.

Why would she run off like that? I would expect her to do that to a stranger maybe, but not someone like me.

I briefly entertain a thought that Kenta might've used his amnesia pill on her to make her forget all about me. I quickly shake the thought out of my head.

Kenta may be crazy, but he's not **that **crazy.

My pondering is interrupted when Shizune and Misha burst though the door.

Shizune walks off in a rage with Misha following.

"What's she so mad about?" I mumble as I enter the classroom.

Apparently, Hisao heard me.

"Shizune and Lilly had a fight."

"Really? About what?"

"The school festival."

"Ah- wait a minute, why was Lilly in here in the first place?"

"She was looking for Hanako."

"What a bad case of timing. I was just talking to her."

I don't mention the part about her running away. I was still confused about that.

My phone suddenly rings. I pull it out and find a text from Kazuko.

{Will you come to my class after school? We need help with our festival project.}

I type back {Sure.} and sit down to wait for class to start.

As I suspected, Hanako didn't come to class at all.

I wonder if I should question her about it next time I see her or just drop the entire thing.

* * *

The bell rings and I go over to Kazuko's class to help with their class project. Turns out their running a takoyaki stand and need some help with painting the banner among other things.

After a few hours of working everything is done.

"Thanks again for helping out, Rokurou."

"Don't mention it. Anything for my sister."

We both head back to the dorms.

I flop into my bed, feeling exhausted and fall asleep shortly after.

* * *

_Leave me alone you stupid dragon._

_I was running in the field of mist again. This time I had 4 of the 5 pieces needed but the dragon was closing in._

_'RRRRRRROOOOOOOOWWWWWWRRRRRR!'_

_I suddenly stop and grab at my ears in pain. The dragon uses this chance to land almost on top of me._

_It opens its mouth to deliver its attack. Somehow, I dodge out of the way and continue running. I can see the final piece but the dragon is right behind me._

_I run towards the piece and reach out my hand for it._

_Suddenly, I feel a great pain as a circle of magic envelopes me._

"_No way. A Spellbinding Circle?"_

_The dragon opens up its mouth for the final attack: Burst Stream of Destruction._

_The attack actually looked quite beautiful if you weren't on the receiving end of it. The attack engulfed me as I screamed._

* * *

I wake with a start.

It's morning, only a few minutes before my alarm clock is supposed to go off.

I sigh a little and get out of bed.

The exhaustion I felt from yesterday is still there, so I skip going swimming today. I decide to make that my schedule. One day I would go swimming and then the next I would eat breakfast with Lilly and repeat the process with swimming the next day.

I go to breakfast and find Lilly and make smalltalk with her while we eat.

Turns out that Hisao and Hanako helped Lilly with her festival project. I decide not to tell her about Hanako running away from me. I make a mental note to resolve the matter as soon as possible.

Once we finish eating, we both head to class.

* * *

The teacher's lecture ends earlier than usual. He continues and talks about the festival.

"So, as you know, the festival is on the day after tomorrow. I hope everyone's projects are going to be successful this year. Have a good time, but also come Sunday, please keep the meaning of this festival in your mind..."

"Games and fried food!"

Everyone laughs at laughs at Misha's comment, including me.

"Yes, thank you Mikado. But what I meant was more the-"

That's when the bell rung and no one bothered listening to the rest of his sentence.

I decide to eat with Kazuko today instead of Hanako and Lilly. I wanted to be alone with her when I questioned her. I thought a little bit about how I should do it.

If I ask her directly what happened, she might freeze up and not answer or worse, run away again.

If I tell her not to worry about it, I'll never figure out exactly what happened and why she ran away from me.

What should I do?

**[ ] Ask her directly.**

**[ ] Tell her not to worry about it.**

* * *

_The first choice of the story. Choose wisely. I will have more choices in the future. REMEMBER TO REVIEW. I like to hear feedback so I know that I'm not messing up or anything. Also, I'm going to try to update every weekend to get a rhythm but no promises. See you in the next chapter._


	7. Chapter 7

_Since only one person made a choice and since he/she technically voted for both choices, I will do the choice that I, personally, would've picked._

* * *

I thought long and hard about my decision throughout lunch.

Hanako will most likely be in the library after school. That will be my chance to talk to her.

I just hope I made the right decision.

I was so absorbed in my thinking that I didn't even finish my food. Oh well, I wasn't that hungry anyway.

I think more about my decision while in my afternoon classes as well.

After school, I head straight to the library after stopping at my room to pick up some books to return.

What's surprising however, is that Hisao is in the library too. Well... it's not really that surprising, he did say he reads as a hobby, just inconvenient.

If he decides to read with Hanako again, my whole plan is ruined. I want to be alone with Hanako for this to work.

I quickly lose my confidence.

I turn to leave before anyone notices me.

* * *

After thinking things over, I decide to head into town to clear my head.

I hadn't been in town much while I was here so far so this is a good opportunity to learn the layout.

Who knows? Maybe they have a local Yugioh tournament here.

I wander for a bit and disappointingly find out there's no such tournament in town.

I walk past a teashop called the Shanghai and make a mental note to visit it later.

With nothing else to do and it getting dark, I start to head back to Yamaku.

On my way back I notice the armless girl wondering the streets.

I think for a moment and remember that her name is Rin.

"Your name is Rin, right?"

She stops abruptly and stares at me like I just spoke a foreign language.

"Yes, how did you know that? Are you some kind of mind reader?"

"No, we met a few days ago. I'm Rokurou, remember?"

"Oh."

She seems instantly disappointed that I'm not a mind reader.

"So... what are you doing in town?"

"I... I was wondering that too. Just now."

"You mean you don't remember what you came into town for?"

"Probably. Maybe. I don't remember."

I grimace a little. Communication is hard with Rin, as I never met anyone like her before.

"Well... I'm heading back to school now. Are you coming?"

"I'm not sure. Should I stay here or should I go? It's a very difficult question."

"I think it would be a good idea to start heading back now since it's getting late. I want to be back before midnight."

"I've always wondered: Is midnight considered really late or really early? I think about it often."

This out of the blue question throws me off-guard.

"I'm... not sure. I think midnight would be the point at which it switches from really late to really early."

"But is midnight itself considered early or late?"

"I... honestly don't know."

"You mean you were lying before?"

"What? No! I wasn't lying."

"I don't trust you. You could be lying to me right know and I would have no way of knowing."

"I assure you, I'm not lying."

"You could be lying about that too."

I sigh in frustration.

I need to stop talking to her or my insanity will start to show through.

"Forget it."

"That I can do. Forget things. Did you know I can only think of four things at once?"

I ignore her question and try to get the conversation back on track.

"I really think we should start heading back now."

She shrugs so I start to head back and she follows.

On the way back, we encounter Lilly and Hisao coming out of the convenience store.

Hisao greets us.

"Rin? Rokurou? What are you two doing out here so late?"

I sigh a little as they start to go through almost the same conversation I had with Rin earlier. I ignore most of it to try to preserve what sanity I have left.

Eventually, we start heading back to school.

On the way up the hill, Hisao asks how Rin's mural is progressing.

"We are going to get bad luck. Never talk about works in progress."

"It depends on the work in progress. Sometimes, it's good to get feedback on works in progress so you can fix any mistakes that may come up. However, if you get the wrong kind of feedback, the end result might end up worse."

She shrugs at my comment and we continue going.

As we go up, I'm getting increasingly tired. I was never good at anything physical.

I notice that Hisao is similarly affected.

Suddenly, he speaks up.

"Anything wrong, Lilly?"

She hesitates before answering.

"Is everything... all right?"

"All right? How do you mean?"

"It's just... you seem unusually tired, I guess."

She must have noticed Hisao's state as well.

"I... I'm fine."

No, you're not.

"There's nothing to worry about, the hill is just surprisingly steep, don't you think? I wonder why they have the school so high up here for anyway, don't we have students in wheelchairs and everything?"

"Indeed."

That's actually a good point. Kazuko would have trouble getting all the way up here on her own. Besides, the batteries in her wheelchair would probably go dead before she would get to the school.

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Not that you can find a place like this wherever, I guess, but it makes me wonder what they were thinking."

"Mmm..."

"Let's continue. We're almost there anyway."

I don't think I'll ever understand why Hisao hides his condition. **It infuriates me to no end.**

Whoa. Better calm down.

I could feel the insanity in that last thought. I guess that talk with Rin did it for me.

I try to keep the insanity under control for the rest of the walk but I feel it slipping when I walk back to our rooms with Hisao.

**I should confront Hisao about why he didn't tell Lilly about his condition.**

"**Okay, man, what the hell was that?"**

"What are you talking about?"

"**I'm talking about why you didn't tell Lilly about your condition."**

"But we barely knew each other."

"**Bullshit, you told Rin on the first day of meeting her."**

"That... was by accident."

"**Accident?"**

"She was trying to guess my condition and she said guess it was 'in my pants' so I kind of... blurted it out."

This makes me laugh long enough to regain control of myself.

After making up some excuse for questioning him, I go into my room and take some of my insanity pills.

* * *

The next day was just another normal day. Except that most of the students were exhausted from working on their class projects. And that it was Saturday so we were out by lunch time. And that the teacher just wrote problems on the board for us to do instead of going into a lecture.

Okay, maybe it wasn't just another normal day.

I'm about halfway through the problems when the teacher calls Hisao out of the class room for a talk.

I'm left wondering what it is about. After some time, Hisao comes back and the teacher also calls for me.

I follow and step out into the hallway to wait for Mutou to speak.

"So, tell me, how are things?"

"Fine, so far. I've had no real problems."

"I see. And how is your... condition?"

Just then I remember what happened yesterday.

"It's fine, mostly. It showed through a little yesterday but I was able to control it."

He looks concerned for a moment but it quickly fades.

"Good, that's good. The school nurse was a little concerned that you might be pushing yourself too hard. He asked me to keep an eye on you when he couldn't."

"Got it."

The conversation continues with several other questions, such as how my studies our going, if I'm finding my extra work too hard, etc.

Eventually, the discussion is over and we head back to the class room.

I go back to my seat and finish the remaining problems.

* * *

Soon enough, the bell finally rings.

"Before you all leave, I expect the answers for those problems by Monday."

I smile a little as the rest of the class sighs for slacking off.

Everyone rushes off to complete their festival projects, leaving only Hanako, Hisao, and me.

With nothing else to do, I head for my dorm.

I stay there for a bit to give Hanako time to get to the library and to think of what I want to say to her.

Once I have everything I think I want to say to her, I head to the library.

Sure enough, she's there in her usual beanbag.

I walk over and sit in my usual spot.

This is it. Moment of truth.

* * *

_Cliffhanger anyone?_

_Sorry for skipping a week but technically I did update (just not this fanfic). In case you didn't figure it out, when the text is bold, it means that Rokurou's insanity is influencing him. As for anyone who's wondering about Hisao and the choice he made, that will be explained in the next chapter (insert evil laugh here). Also, I noticed a spike in views on October 17, so I was wondering if it happened to anyone else and if they know anything about it. Leave a review if you know. See you in the next chapter._


	8. Chapter 8

_I'm sorry if Hanako seems a bit out of character in this chapter. Enjoy!_

* * *

I quickly lose my confidence again.

What's wrong with me? Hisao isn't here so this is the perfect time.

After a few minutes of arguing with myself, I reach a compromise.

I will only ask her if it comes up in conversation, otherwise I'll never mention it.

With this decision made I continue reading for a while.

* * *

As time goes on, I feel a rumbling in my gut. I should get something to eat soon.

I stand up to take my leave, say goodbye to Hanako, and begin walking out the library.

"Um... R-Rokurou?"

Upon hearing Hanako's voice, I stop and turn around to wait for what she has to say to me.

"T-thank you. F-for hanging out with me a-after what happened the o-other day."

Well, this is convenient. This is the perfect time to ask.

Before I lose my confidence again, I blurt out my question.

"Yeah, about that. What exactly happened back then?"

She seemed to be prepared to answer the question but still has trouble getting the answer out.

"I was e-eavesdropping."

Suddenly, everything clicked into place. I understood exactly what happened. While Hanako was passing by the classroom, she must have heard Shizune and Lilly's argument. So, she stayed outside the door to listen. When I came along, she panicked at being caught and ran away.

I hold up my hand for her to stop.

"No need to explain further. I understand it all now."

"Y-you do?"

I go on to explain my theory. She seems impressed with my power to make these type of connections.

"Well, I should get going. Good night, Hanako."

"N-night."

I go to bed that night much happier than ever before.

I think I may be falling in love with Hanako. A bad dream better not ruin this mood.

* * *

_... _

_Dammit._

_2 pieces found. 3 pieces to find._

_I can feel the dragon closing in._

_It suddenly appears from the mist and fires its breath attack at me._

"_Go, Negate Attack!"_

_The trap appears in front of me and stops the attack, giving me enough time to escape._

_I continue running. I can see something in the distance._

_As I get closer, I see that its a person. As the mist clears around him, I recognize him as Kenta._

"_Kenta? What are you doing here?"_

"_I told you to call me Kenji. You don't want the feminists to find out, do you?"_

_What he's saying is making no sense since he's wearing his regular clothes and not his Kenji outfit._

_He continues speaking._

"_Anyway, to answer your question, I'm here to tell you something."_

_He readies himself for the message in a dramatic pose._

"_You're running out of time, Rokurou. Pretty soon, you'll have to make another deal and you know the consequences of that."_

"_What are you talking about. A deal? What deal?"_

"_It doesn't matter. Here."_

_He tosses over one of the pieces, which I grab in midair._

_It's the Right Arm._

"_Good luck."_

_With that he simply disappears._

_I continue running through the mist to find the remaining pieces. Strangely enough, the dragon doesn't show up again and pretty soon I have all 5 pieces._

_The only problem is that there's nothing happening._

_Maybe I have to lay them out in a specific order._

_I try to do so in various positions with little success._

_Maybe they work like the Dragon Balls and I have to call him out._

_Before I have a chance to try, the Right Arm starts glowing._

_My right arm suddenly bursts into flames._

_While I try to put it out, something hits me in the back of my head and knocks me over, which would've looked hilarious to anyone watching._

_As I crane my head to see what hit me, I realize in horror that it's a Dragon Capture Jar._

_And it's beginning to crack._

_Out from the Jar pops out the dragon, who stomps the jar into even more pieces with its feet._

_The Right Arm's glowing intensifies until it's so bright I can't see what's going on._

* * *

I wake up in a cold sweet and a gasp. I clutch at my right arm.

It appears to be fine.

I sigh as I fall back into my bed.

"Dammit Kenta." I mutter as I try to fall asleep again.

After about an hour or so of restlessness, I decide to get up. It's only a couple of hours before I should get up anyway.

I realize that today is festival day and wonder what I should do.

Normally, I would avoid it being the anti-social person that I am but Kazuko's advice to be more social pops up in my mind.

Figures that the day I have the most opportunity to be social is the day where I have no energy to be social.

I decide to spend the day in the library. Besides, Hanako will probably spend the day there too.

I spend the next hours browsing the internet and watching anime before heading to the library.

I was surprised that Hanako was already there.

To be honest, I half-expected the library to still be closed. I casually go over and sit in my usual spot.

She seems surprised to see me, but not enough to totally shock her. I've noticed that she has gotten more comfortable with my presence as my visits to the library become more frequent.

This apparently applies to speaking too since she speaks up.

"W-Why aren't you at the f-festival?"

"Well, I didn't get much sleep last night so I'm not in the mood for a festival today."

I actually wouldn't be surprised if I nodded off while reading my book.

With the conversation over, we both go back to our reading.

After a few hours pass, my stomach starts audibly rumbling. Hanako stifles a giggle as I blush a bit.

"I guess I should get something to eat. Do you want to come with me to the festival stalls?"

I know I said that I wouldn't go to the festival but it's only for food.

"Um... I... I brought some food so..."

Of course. Hanako would bring her own food to avoid the crowds of the festival.

I think for a moment before coming up with something else.

"What about the tea room? It's barely used so no one should be there. We could eat there."

"S-sure. Let's go."

She packs up her things and we make our way to the tearoom.

On the way there, I notice Hanako taking weird steps.

After observing her further, I realize what she's doing.

"Are you tile-hopping?"

She stops in her tracks.

"W-what?"

"Tile-hopping. At least, that's what I call it. Where you only step on a certain colored tile in a hallway."

"Y-yeah. I guess so." Hanako says with a blush.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. I even sometimes do it when I'm bored."

She takes comfort in the fact that there's someone else who does it and we continue on.

We arrive at the tea room and Hanako prepares her food.

I realize that I didn't bring any food but Hanako is more than willing to share since she sets out a tray of sandwiches and pours two cups of tea.

As I take a sip of tea, I sigh as I start to relax.

"I like this place."

"Um... I don't know what you mean."

"It's secluded from the rest of the school. In here, it's peaceful and you can relax."

"Y-you're right. It's like the world has forgotten this room. And b-because of that, you can forget about the outside."

"A room where you can forget all your troubles. I think everyone should have a room like that."

"Y-yeah. Say... do you play chess?"

I almost choke on my tea as the memories come up.

"Are... are you alright?"

"I'm fine. It's just..."

I used to play chess with Chouko all the time. I haven't played since her death.

"I used to play all the time with my sister. I think it would be a good idea to get back into it."

I realize too late that Hanako probably thinks that I mean Kazuko, since I never mentioned my other sister.

She gets out a chess set from a cupboard and begins to set up.

I actually developed a pretty good feel of chess. I mastered it only months after learning to play.

I even learned how to alter my skill level just like a computer does.

Even I have found that process creepy at times. Of course, I may be a bit rusty at it, so I'm not sure how this game will turn out.

Once the pieces were set up, we began.

* * *

I held back too much.

I was backed into a corner. I was certain that it would be checkmate soon but I found an opening in Hanako's defense. I made my move and with a few game-changing plays later, I had her in checkmate.

I sigh as I sink into my seat.

"That was close. You almost beat me. You're really good at this."

She blushes at my comment.

"I guess so. Um... can we play again?"

I think for a moment and get an idea.

"Actually, I have a better game in mind."

Before I can mention it to her, we hear a noise at the door. It's Lilly.

"Good afternoon."

"Lilly..."

"Hi, Lilly. Where's Hisao? I thought he'd be with you."

"On the contrary, I thought he might be with you."

"I'm sure he's somewhere enjoying the festival. What about your stall? Didn't you have to run it?"

"I was, but the teacher managed to round up some extra help, so I was able to leave."

"W-would you like a cup of tea?"

"Actually, I think it may be a good idea to go outside for a little while..."

Outside? Yeah... no.

I was still very tired from waking up early. I think going outside to enjoy the festivities would be bad for my condition. Besides, Hanako seems clearly objected to the plan.

"Are you sure? It's pretty relaxing in here."

"Really? It's so crowded here that I was thinking we should leave the school and head for the local teahouse."

"Wait, is this teahouse the Shanghai?"

Lilly seems surprised that I've heard of it.

"I take it you have been there?"

"Well, no. I just passed it one day while in town. I was actually been meaning to visit it so this is the perfect opportunity."

We pack up and we start heading off.

After we leave the gates, I notice that there's a lot more people still here than I thought.

"How come there's so many people still here?"

"They're probably here to view the fireworks."

"The school uses fireworks?"

"Yes, apparently the school puts on quite a show. A lot of people come from town just to watch them."

I feel sorry for Lilly, not being able to see the fireworks.

We continue down the road to the Shanghai.

We enter and follow the wait to be seated sign.

However, there doesn't appear to be anyone here.

"Is anyone even here?"

A chair falls from across the room and a head pops up from a booth.

"I wasn't asleep and welcome to the Shanghai!"

It's Yuuko the librarian. She rushes over in a messy state that grants suspicion on her earlier statement but I don't bring it up.

"So, you work here as well as the library?"

"What? Lilly? Rokurou? Welcome to the Shanghai!"

She bows rather quickly and her glasses go flying.

"Uweh!? My glasses..."

I quickly retrieve them and give them back to her while Lilly explains.

"Yuuko works here part-time as well as at the library. It's one of the reasons we like to come here."

Yuuko shakily puts her glasses back on.

"Yes... that's right... thanks... Shall I show you to your table? There's no-one else here so you can choose your table and order whatever you like, but there may be a delay as I will have to make it myself..."

"It's all right, Yuuko. Just a pot of black tea and a plate of sandwiches will be fine."

"Right! I'll get right onto that!"

She rushes off to prepare our food before realizing she hasn't seated us.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please, sit wherever you'd like! I'll be right back!"

We seat ourselves at a nearby booth.

This seems to be the perfect place for Hanako. With high end seats and barely any customers, even I like this place. My thinking is interrupted by Lilly.

"So, Rokurou, I didn't know you played chess..."

"I used to, but I still know how to play."

"I suppose the obvious question would now be... who won?"

"I did, but after a very close call. I was on the brink of losing. Hanako is a very good player."

Hanako blushes at my appraisal.

"Well done, Rokurou. You've accomplished something I've only ever failed at."

"Thanks. I haven't played since... forever so it felt good to play again."

I almost let slip the fact that my sister died. No need to sour the mood with that.

"Y... yes... It did."

Suddenly, Yuuko appears, concentrating on maintaining balance of the tray she's carrying. I want to offer my help, but I'm afraid any talk will break her concentration and the tray would fall.

She does manage to get the tray down without incident.

"Thank you, Yuuko."

She bows down before answering Lilly.

"You're very welcome."

"Would you like to join us? There's something else I'd like to discuss about that recent order, if I may..."

"Ah... yes. We didn't get the chance to go through them, did we?"

Yuuko sits down next to Hanako.

I honestly have no idea what they're talking about but I can't help but listen in as Yuuko speaks.

"I'll be in the library tomorrow afternoon if you'd like to try again..."

"That sounds perfect, I'll meet you there after classes."

"Um... L-Lilly..."

"Oh dear, that's right. Tomorrow is Monday, how could I have forgotten?"

From what I gathered from the conversation so far, I think that the 'recent order' is books since they're meeting in the library. However, apparently there is something that Hanako and Lilly do together on Monday.

"Well, perhaps we could come to some other arrangement. Yuuko, will you be in the library later in the week?"

"Hmm, maybe, but this is already overdue..."

"A-and there are some... things I n-need..."

"This might be a problem..."

Lilly ponders the problem before coming up with a solution.

"I wonder, might we be able to enlist the help of another, if need be...?"

I know where this is going.

"I'll help, but I should probably know what I'm helping with first."

"Oh, of course. The other day I was helping Yuuko sort the new Braille books in the library. But Hanako and I usually go shopping on Monday afternoons; it's quieter on that day than on the weekends. Last week we couldn't go because I was busy with the festival. I managed to slip away later in the week, but Hanako couldn't make it."

I get it. Lilly has to help Yuuko to sort the Braille books on Monday but can't because she usually goes with Hanako to the store. But it wouldn't be fair to Yuuko to sort the books herself. And Hanako is too shy to go shopping by herself, which means...

"So you want me to go with Hanako?"

"Correct. You do know where it is, right?"

"Yeah, I passed by it while in town the other day so I should remember where it is. If I forget, I can just ask Hanako for directions. Right, Hanako?"

"R-right."

"Now that we have that arranged, shall we have some tea?"

After pouring the tea and calming down Yuuko, saying she doesn't have to pour it, we are about to eat when I hear the sound of fireworks from outside.

"Ah, I take it the show has started."

Again, I feel sorry for Lilly not being able to see the fireworks.

"Let's go watch! Oh... sorry Lilly..."

It seems Yuuko shares my viewpoint but Lilly reassures us.

"Please, don't miss the show on my account. From what I've heard, this isn't a bad location to watch them from."

We all (except Lilly) move to the window to watch the fireworks.

I feel a sense of nostalgia as I look on. Last time I watched fireworks was with Chouko and Kazuko.

It brings a tear to my eye, which I quickly wipe away before the others can notice.

Soon enough, the fireworks show ends. I'm glad I watched them. I'm also glad I spent this day with Hanako and Lilly. I would've spent most of it with Kazuko, but I heard that she had to help run the takoyaki stand. As for Hisao, I have no idea where he might be.

Before I can return to my seat, Hanako turns to me and speaks.

"Um, t-thanks for today... and tomorrow."

"Not a problem. I was tired today anyway. With the added stress of the festival, It's better to spend days like this away from the crowds."

"Y-yeah."

"Our tea is probably getting cold so let's get back."

"S-sure."

We return to our seats to finish the meal.

After calming Yuuko down about the cold tea, we finish and start to leave.

On the way up the hill, I'm hit with exhaustion. I guess I should have tried to get more sleep.

"Hold on a minute, I need to rest."

"Is everything alright?"

Lilly's voice is filled with concern.

"I'm fine, just tired. I didn't get much sleep last night and with that and my arrhythmia, I'm exhausted."

I can tell they're slightly shocked by my acceptance with them knowing about my condition.

I briefly consider telling them about Hisao's condition but I decide against it.

After I rest for a few minutes, we continue back to the school.

* * *

As I enter the hallway, I decide to knock on Hisao's door to see how he's doing. I'm also curious as to what he did during the day.

After a few unsuccessful tries, it's clear that he's not in there.

Now we would he be? I'm starting to get a little worried.

I go over to Kenta's door and use a secret knock he taught me to signal an emergency.

He doesn't answer either.

There is no reason Kenta shouldn't be in there. He's not one for festivals and would probably stay in his room the entire day.

Unless...

Uh-oh. Oh no. No. No. No.

I quickly exit the dorm and head straight for the school while avoiding the guards.

This isn't good. If Kenta is going to do what I think he is, I'd better hurry.

I run to the only place I can think of. The roof.

I shove the door open to see what would be a comical sight in any other situation.

Hisao, apparently drunk, is backing towards the fence, with it about to give in. Kenta is moving towards him with a drunk look on his face as well. Once Kenta speaks up, I know for a fact that he's flat out drunk.

"What's the matter with you? Not in the mood for love?"

What the hell were they drinking?

"To be frank... no."

Kenta takes a step forward and soon enough he has Hisao against the fence, leaning in extremely close.

"What the hell, stop leaning in like that, it bothers me."

"Leaning in like what? Hey, you shouldn't lean against the fence like that, it's kind of unsafe."

I can sense what will happen next. I quickly rush forward as Hisao starts to lose his balance.

I reach out with my right hand and grab him, but his weight is too much and I fall over with him.

I can see my life flash before my eyes as we fall.

So, this is how I die. Looks like I won't be able to keep that promise to Hanako.

Goodbye, Kazuko.

**No. I can't die yet. I have to live. For Kazuko!**

**I have to think fast.**

**If I turn by body in a certain way, I can lessen the impact so that we might live.**

**But which way should I turn?**

**[ ] Left**

**[ ] Right**

* * *

_Although it may not seem like it, this choice is actually very important to the outcome of the story so choose very wisely. And please choose. Even if you're just a guest, please choose. Also, I'm still looking for suggestions for the Misha incident so feel free to PM me a suggestion or leave it in a review so it may end up in a future chapter. See you in the next chapter._


End file.
